Participants transitioning from male to female and cisgender participants had no significant differences in health care coverage. Binge drinking was more likely among participants transitioning from male to female compared with cisgender women (OR = 2.2; 95% CI, 1.3-3.6), but not cisgender men. The odds of reporting an MI were higher among participants transitioning from male to female compared with cisgender women (OR = 2.9; 95% CI, 1.6-5.3), but not cisgender men.

Participants who reported they were gender nonconforming with a recorded female sex had higher odds of reporting that their mental health was not good 14 or more days out of the last 30 days (OR = 5.3; 95% CI, 2.03-13.7), that poor physical or mental health prevented usual activities for 14 or more days out of the last 30 days (OR = 7.1; 95% CI, 1.8-27.6) and that it had been more than a year since their last routine checkup (OR = 3.8; 95% CI, 1.6-8.9) compared with cisgender women.

“There are significant differences in health status measures and cardiometabolic health between subgroups of transgender individuals and cisgender individuals,” the researchers wrote. “There is a need for further research to understand the societal and medical (eg, hormone therapy) effects on these outcomes. Additionally, a growing proportion of young people identify as [gender-nonconforming] and their health status and mental and physical needs are distinct from those who identify as [transitioning from female to male] or [transitioning from male to female] and deserve further study.” – by Amber Cox